Belle de Jour revealed

Belle de Jour, former high-end London Call Girl, previously anonymous blogger and best-selling author has come clean, revealing herself to be Dr Brooke Magnanti, an expert in developmental neurotoxicology and cancer epidemiology, with a PhD in informatics, epidemiology and forensic science who is now working at the Bristol Initiative for Research of Child Health.

Whew!

And she has no qualms about her undercover life. Money graph from the London Times Online:

Was she concerned for her personal safety, or about being ripped off by the agency? “That was always a concern. Trust was gained by degrees. I e-mailed them from a fake account; the interview was in a public place in a busy area. I thought, I can walk away at any point — they know nothing about me. I have a fairly strong instinct for when I’m in danger and I trust it. There’s no such thing as being 100% correct, but thinking sceptically and being switched on helps, as does keeping your eyes and ears open. I’m stronger than I look.”